Festival will celebrate Grovetown's heritage
Civil War re-enactors Brian Martin (right) of Grovetown talked with Jeff Stevens of Appling in their Confederate
uniforms at the Grovetown Heritage Festival last year.
Photo by Donnie Fetter
Organizers of the Grovetown Heritage Festival used what they learned from last year's event to put plan an even bigger celebration of the city's people and history.
The second annual festival, slated for Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will feature more than 40 booths offering information, food and arts and crafts, said Cindy Lynn, a planning committee member in charge of vendors.
"It was pretty easy to get it back together," Lynn said. "We have a group of nice people we work with, and we work well together."
Saturday's festival will be at the corner of Robinson Avenue and Old Wrightsboro Road near City Hall. The day will feature lots of children's activities, including homemade ice cream sold from a John Deere tractor, miniature train rides, a dunking booth and a giant pink dinosaur filled with balls for children to play in, said Mary Ann Navarro, another event organizer.
Grovetown City Councilman Bruce Stoddard, who will serve as emcee, and Mayor Dennis Trudeau will kick off the festival by releasing balloons to patriotic music at 9 a.m.
The rest of the day will be filled with local talent including a gymnastics demonstration by Gymnastics Gold, clogging, local singer Joe Whitaker, the Grovetown Middle School chorus and steppers, Grovetown singer Brandi Coleman, a Martinez dance team and Joyful Noise, a singing group from Grovetown United Methodist Church, Lynn said.
State Sen. Joey Brush will speak between 1:15 and 1:45 p.m., and a performance by recording artist Terri Gibb-Daughtry will close the show, Navarro said.
For those who might not have a recording artist voice but love to sing, Curtis Newman will be coordinating all-day karaoke.
"We have got a different variety of things," Navarro said of the day's activities and vendors.
The Grovetown Museum will be open for viewing and representatives from Fort Gordon's Signal Corps Museum will performing Civil War reenactments and providing history of the Signal Corps.
The CSRA Road Angels care club are returning to the festival and are sponsoring a car show. The entry fee is $20, and participants can register at the event.
"It should be a real fun family time that day," Lynn said.
IF YOU GO
What: Grovetown Heritage Festival
When: Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Corner of Robinson Avenue and Old Wrightsboro Road near city hall, Grovetown
For more information: For vendor information, call 854-9319. Anyone interested in the car show can call 868-8371. For general information about the festival, call Grovetown City Hall at 863-4576.